Cables

[richteer]

First things first: you do not want that long cable between your turntable and phono stage. Between your phonostage and preamp should be OK, provided it has sufficient shielding (if RFI is a problem in your area).

You're correct in thinking that you don't want to over spend on cables--good cables are important, but they have to be in keeping with the rest of your system. That said, I think $50 for 4m interconnect might be a too low for a good quality cable ($50 would be OK for the usual 1m to 2m lengths).

I don't have any recent experience, but Kimber Kable and Audioquest make a wide range of cables that might suit your needs. Nordost is my usual go to cable company, but their stuff is a bit pricey, and isn't shielded until you get quite high up the range.

Good luck!